A Different Kind of Beginning
by booklover394
Summary: After a disastrous marriage proposal, Elizabeth Bennet is all but banished by her family to London. Now living with her aunt and uncle Gardiner seventeen year old Elizabeth cannot help but mourn the loss of her family in Hertfordshire. But with an aunt with friends in such high places, will Elizabeth feel lonely much longer? Regency/HEA


**Hello fellow P &P lovers,**

 **First of all thank you clicking onto my story and giving it a chance. I just wanted to explain why I'm writing this and what you can expect if you decide to follow this story.**

 **First of all a disclaimer; everything you read other than the story line obviously belongs to the fabulous Jane Austen.**

 **Needed to get that out there, sorry.**

 **Okay briefly, the reason behind me writing this is lately I haven't found many P &P stories I've wanted to follow. Saying that does not mean they're aren't fabulous stories that you wouldn't like, just none I've personally felt compelled to follow. So I've decided to quit moaning and try writing one myself. It's my first ever FanFic so bare with me. I'm completely open to helpful criticism, so please if you have an pointers let me know. **

**I love reading and writing but I am human and I do make mistakes, so if do spot any spelling and/or grammar mishaps do let me know. I do proofread everything twice so hopefully it won't happen often.**

 **This story is a regency fic, so I'm going to try my best to keep the language and etiquette etc. as close to the time as possible without it being overbearing. The character's will be slightly OCC but for the most part I will try to keep as true to Austin as possible.**

 **I plan to update weekly but I do have a full time job so please don't be too angry if I am late. I will not update if I feel what I have is not up to scratch. In other words I don't want to be giving you crappy chapters just for the sake of it.**

 **Also I am going to rate this M, just in case. I want to give myself the option for the future as I love a bit a lemon, I do. Especially Darcy lemon, if you don't like please don't read. I won't make you... I promise.**

 **So without further adieu I will let you be the judge...**

 **Chapter 1**

' _Am I dreaming?'_ she thought to herself.

Elizabeth sat astonished unable to move, gazing into the cold blue expectant eyes of the man grudgingly kneeing before her. Looking for something, anything to help her come to terms with what was happening. ' _Surely he is jesting_ ' she assured herself hopefully. But no, she could see nothing but sincerity his presumptuous face. His question rang in her ears continuously, over and over again…

' _Cousin Elizabeth, this morning I do you a great honour by asking you to become my wife; will you marry me?'_

' _Will you marry me…_?'

' _Marry me…_ '

She was in turmoil. It seemed impossible to her that this unremarkable man in front of her could have asked for her hand in marriage. Out of the five Bennet sisters Mr Collins had somehow come to the conclusion that Elizabeth was to be _his_ wife. Even to her it sounded inconceivable; ' _Mrs Elizabeth Collins'_. The thought alone made a shiver run up Lizzy's spine. But the question remained, how on earth had Mr Collins come to choose her?

Not once had she given any indication that she wanted to marry him. In fact, Lizzy was not even openly seeking a husband, much to her Mama's woe. She was sixteen. Even though sixteen was, according to the ton, Meryton and of course Mrs Bennet an eligible age to enter into matrimony... Lizzy did not agree.

After seeing her parent's marriage slowly deteriorate over the course of her life, Elizabeth had promised herself to marry only for the deepest of love. Although, it was only her dearest sister Jane that was privy to that secret.

While her cousin remained kneeling, waiting without a doubt in his mind of her acceptance; ' _the fool_ ' she thought bitterly, Lizzy tried to come up with the answer to her question. Why _me? Why not one of my sisters?_ '

She immediately eliminated her youngest two sisters, Kitty and Lydia. Kitty, the older of the two was not to turn thirteen until this coming September. Although her mother was desperate to marry her daughters off she would not stoop that low. ' _Or at least I hope she would not'_ , Lizzy thought quickly. Although the doubt lingered.

That left herself, Jane and Mary.

Mary, at fourteen was the most ordinary of the five Bennet sisters. Though she was pretty with her delicate features and dark eyes, she was often overlooked when standing next to her sisters. As sad as it sounds Lizzy knew this to be true. Mary lacked the exuberance and life of her two younger sisters, as well as the beauty, charm and particularly in Elizabeth's case, wit of her two elder sisters.

' _Perhaps Mr Collins simply forgot about Mary, as most people do_ ' Lizzy thought to herself sadly. As much as she felt for her younger sister after the thought, Lizzy's mind was soon distracted back to the compelling question at hand. ' _So, if not Mary that leaves Jane'_ she thought.

To Elizabeth, Jane was the obvious answer. ' _She's my elder of two years, which makes her the perfect age for marriage_ ' Lizzy thought to herself. Elizabeth would be at pains to part with her elder sister, largely because they had been joined at the hip since Lizzy's birth. But as much as she would not wish Jane to have a husband such as Mr Collins, it was the only logical answer Lizzy could think of.

Jane was a classic beauty at eighteen years old with her long blonde hair and kind blue eyes. She was the apple of her mother's eye as Mrs Bennet was convinced she could not be so beautiful for nothing.

Lizzy agreed wholeheartedly with her Mama on that point and therefore Jane was the obvious first choice to be picked as a wife by Collins. ' _She is everything loving, patient and graceful, and by far has been the most welcoming to the pompous preacher. She even sits through his sermons each evening without a word of protest, unlike the rest of us. She is by far a better choice. What on earth gave my idiotic cousin the idea that I would agree to this. He must be as desperate to marry as Mama is to…_ '

Lizzy's mind suddenly stopped its evaluations, suddenly it made sense now; ' _Mama!_ '

To the inhabitants of Longbourn it was clear just how much Fanny Bennet disliked her second daughter. Even dear Jane could not deny it. Everything Lizzy did her Mama disapproved of... she read too much, she walked too much, she was to unladylike, too witty, a bad influence on her sisters, the list went on. Try as she might, and she did try, Lizzy could not please her Mama. Lizzy could not remember why or how long ago the resentment began. When she asked her beloved Papa he had no answer. Or at least none he wanted to give.

And so Lizzy was certain her Mama would do her best to marry her most troublesome daughter off to England's most foolish parson. In Mrs Bennet's mind it was the perfect match.

But could her mother be so manipulative? Would she go to such lengths to rid herself of her frustrating second daughter? Could her Mama be so cruel and marry her off to the awful Mr Collins? ' _Yes_ ', Lizzy's subconscious answered for her. ' _Of course she would_ '.

Elizabeth was pulled out of her devastating epiphany by a sniggering behind the dining room door.

She looked into the disagreeable and expectant face of her cousin Collins. Could she do it? Could Lizzy marry this odious man and finally please he Mama? Could Lizzy go against her own morals and marry for something other than love?

In that moment Lizzy had her answer.

Determined to keep what was remaining of her dwindling dignity in tact Elizabeth answered clearly in hope that those in the neighbouring hallway should hear.

'I thank you for the offer sir, but I am afraid you are the last man on earth I could ever be prevailed upon to marry. I will _not_ marry you'. And with that Elizabeth fled from the room, pushing past a shocked and furious Mrs Bennet, while Kitty and Lydia dissolved into giggles.

It was not until Lizzy had reached the safety of Oakam Mount that she stopped running and succumbed to her tears.

 **Please let me know what you think. Should I go on? Comment below, all are welcome.**


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